Muted Criticism

Contrary to expectations Harvard University President Drew Faust did not use the occasion of the university's ROTC commissioning ceremony to criticize the Congressional “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, which bars openly lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from military service.

According to the Harvard Crimson, U.S. News & World Report, and others, Faust's speech made only the slightest allusion to the controversy surrounding the ban. "I wish that there were more of you," Faust told the five cadets and about 100 spectators. "I believe that every Harvard student should have the opportunity to serve in the military, as you do, and as those honored in the past have done."

Faust’s speech came as a surprise to many students who believed the university president would use the occasion to condemn the Congressional law and call for more inclusive policies towards lesbians, gays and bisexuals. Her sharp criticism of the ban in the past has drawn considerable fire, including an op-ed column last month in the Wall Street Journal.

A group of Harvard students recently made national headlines by staging protests at armed forces recruitment centers in Maine, Connecticut, and New York highlighting the need for repeal of the law.

-Victor Maldonado

DADT and the ROTC

Americans join the military for a number of reasons. Some do it for fame and fortune, others want to see the world, and many, including this sailor, use the military to get an education and make something of themselves. Here, in his own words, is one young man's story of why he chose to join the ROTC and why as a gay man continues to serve in silence:

I chose to join the military because I need to be working for something beyond myself, working to defend freedom in the most direct way possible. Specifically, I joined the Navy’s ROTC program and have subsequently elected to switch to Marine Option because it will not only enable me to participate in the United States’ defense at home and abroad but to lead the Marines that similarly dedicate their lives after completing my degree at government expense.

The path to become a Marine Officer will be mentally and physically challenging, only the best can lead the best. I strive to espouse the Marine Corps’ values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. However, the Department of Defense’s policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” says that I am only able to fulfill my oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” if I consciously hide that I am gay.

My unit has presented GMT briefs about how the Navy champions diversity, echoed policies by Defense leadership about how they now understand the roles of families and the impact of servicemembers’ personal lives on their professional lives. Sitting silently, I agree with the logic of the arguments and the solutions proposed but wonder why gays and lesbians have been left out. DoD’s argument, of course, is that an openly homosexual soldier, sailor, airman, coastgaurdsman or Marine would so significantly undermine unit cohesion that combat readiness would be adversely affected and therefore he or she must lie. I have more confidence in the professionalism of the Americans who serve in the military than Congress and the Pentagon seem to.

I am willing to remain in the closet for as long as necessary to continue serving my country, but I should not have to make the sacrifice of who I am in a nation which represents every freedom. Semper Fidelis.

-Anonymous